Lionel Messi, Paul Pogba and Virgil Van Dijk are among the players making headlines today.

What the papers say

Barcelona are preparing a contract to keep record goalscorer Lionel Messi at the club for the rest of his career, the Mirror reports in a story broken by Mundo Deportivo. The 32-year-old Argentina star’s current deal expires at the end of the 2020/21 season.

The Express reports that Chelsea could be forced into offering left-back Emerson Palmieri a long-term contract with former manager Maurizio Sarri looking to sign the Brazil international to Juventus.

Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba is regularly in the news (Nigel French/PA)

Paul Pogba is rarely far from the headlines, and today is no different. According to The Sun, he stayed at Manchester United instead of moving to Real Madrid because of a £150m sports sponsorship deal.

Benfica midfielder Florentino Luis is proving very popular, according to The Star. Both Manchester United and Manchester City are set to compete for the 20-year-old next summer, the paper says.

Virgil Van Dijk helped Liverpool win the Champions League last season (Nick Potts/PA)

Liverpool centre-back Virgil Van Dijk is bemused by talk that he is is to be offered a new £200,000-per-week contract by the European champions, according to the Liverpool Echo.

Social media round-up

Players to watch

Danny Rose: The England left-back wants to stay and fight for his place at Tottenham despite interest from other clubs and the arrival of Ryan Sessegnon from Fulham over the summer, according to The Mirror.

Tottenham defender Danny Rose (John Walton/PA)

Kalvin Phillips: Leeds are close to securing a five-year extension to the midfielder’s contract, after the 23-year-old was the subject of interest from Aston Villa and Burnley in pre-season, the Daily Telegraph reports.

Marcos Rojo: The 29-year-old will push for a move to Aston Villa from Manchester United in the January transfer window, after the Argentina defender failed to leave Old Trafford in the summer, Birmingham Live says.